Schools and Clubs now have healthy alternative to selling sweets to raise money

Australasia’s largest and best known garden business Yates, has introduced a fresh and healthy new fundraising initiative for schools and clubs called ‘RAISE A PATCH’. Not only does the initiative provide a new way for kids to raise much needed funds for their school, sporting group or community that doesn’t involve sugary treats, it also offers a fun opportunity for children to learn about healthy food choices – something crucial in a society where the prevalence of childhood obesity is growing.

RAISE A PATCH is all about providing a way for kids to raise much-needed funds for their school, sporting club or community group, while also having fun growing things in the garden and learning about healthy food choices along the way.

Angie Thomas, gardening expert and Horticultural Communications Manager at Yates, said this of the initiative: “As a mother of school age kids myself, it can be challenging steering kids towards healthy eating options. Yates will be helping address part of the problem by offering a healthier way for schools, sporting clubs and communities to fundraise.”

RAISE A PATCH, a healthier alternative for fundraising which focuses on selling seeds for veggie patches, herb pots and flower gardens, and one which raises twice as much money for schools or sporting clubs that they would normally earn.

Television personality Grant Denyer is supporting the initiative. “Straight off the bat, the whole YATES RAISE A PATCH campaign was an absolute no-brainer for me to get involved with,” said Denyer. “School kids selling sweets never sat right with me as a parent. So the idea of them fundraising with seeds instead, getting out and about in the garden to grow veggies for their own dinner table, makes sense on so many levels.”

“Not only that, but the fact that schools and sporting clubs make double the money than they would selling lollies or chocolates really seals the deal for me.”

To help seed the message, Denyer has teamed up with Yates’ new puppet ambassador Cedric the Gnome to star in a series of funny kid-friendly videos. The videos are all about spreading the RAISE A PATCH philosophy, explaining how the initiative works, and provides gardening and fundraising tips. As Denyer says, “The initiative works, because it gives kids all the information and tools they need to make healthy choices, but in a really unique, amusing way.”

Cedric, however, has completely different ideas about why RAISE A PATCH is so important. “Did you know that 86% of gnomes are homeless?” he splutters. “Not only that, our native fairy population is almost extinct! That’s why we need human children to help grow gardens, make homes for gnomes and save the poor endangered fairies!”

Thomas says that while the silliness of Cedric’s personal agenda is a fun way to promote the idea to kids, the goals of RAISE A PATCH remain important. “The initiative helps provide kids with an opportunity to learn about where their food comes from, encourages healthy eating choices and gets more children into the garden whilst also raising awareness of sustainable living – all while raising double the money for important projects and helping families save on grocery bills.”

YATES® RAISE A PATCH™ packet seeds can be purchased in packs of 25 for $40 or 50 for $75, valued at $100 and $200 respectively, the profits of which can go straight towards the new facilities for schools and clubs.

For more information on YATES® RAISE A PATCH™, including how to kick start a fundraiser for your school or community, visit fundraising.yates.com.au and watch Cedric the Gnome in action at https://youtu.be/4LQLXi2CVG8